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Beşiktaş out to end German hoodoo against Leipzig

Beşiktaş have never beaten German opponents in seven previous attempts, six of which ended in defeat; debutants Leipzig will look to add to that poor run in Istanbul.

Cenk Tosun celebrates scoring for Beşiktaş on matchday one
Cenk Tosun celebrates scoring for Beşiktaş on matchday one ©AFP/Getty Images

Beşiktaş JK began Group G positively, but the Turkish team's winless record against German clubs gives newcomers RB Leipzig hope of another good UEFA Champions League result in Istanbul.

• While this is a first European away game for debutants Leipzig, Beşiktaş have lost all three previous home matches against Bundesliga visitors without scoring – and have been beaten in all but one of their games against German sides overall.

Match background

Beşiktaş
• The Turkish team, who kicked off with a 3-1 victory at FC Porto, have won their last three European home fixtures, and are unbeaten in their last nine matches in Istanbul (W4 D5) since a 3-1 loss to Club Brugge KV in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 16. That is the sole reverse in their last 17 European home games (W9 D7).

• Beşiktaş drew all three home matches in last season's group stage, and have drawn their last four home fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, qualifying included. The 3-1 third qualifying round win against Feyenoord in August 2014 is their only home victory in their last eight games in this competition (D4 L3), again including qualifying – although they are unbeaten in their last five such fixtures in Istanbul.

• In 2016/17 Beşiktaş finished third in their group and moved into the UEFA Europa League, where they got as far as the quarter-finals before losing on penalties to Olympique Lyonnais.

• Beşiktaş have not faced a German side since November 2009 and a 3-0 loss at home to VfL Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League group stage. That result followed a 2-0 home reverse to FC Bayern München in the 1997/98 group stage and a 1-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund in the 1989/90 European Cup Winners' Cup first round (1-3 aggregate).

• A goalless draw in Wolfsburg in 2009/10 is the only time Beşiktaş have avoided defeat against German clubs. They have conceded 12 goals in their seven matches, scoring two.

Leipzig
• The German team started Group G with a 1-1 draw at home to last season's semi-finalists AS Monaco FC. Emil Forsberg scored Leipzig's first European goal in what was their first ever game in continental competition.

• Leipzig qualified for a first foray into continental competition by coming second in the 2016/17 Bundesliga – in what, remarkably, was their debut season in the German top flight.

• Leipzig are the 12th club to represent Germany in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• The German side were also the first team from any country to make their European debut in the group stage of this competition.

Coach and player links
• Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş encountered West Germany in three UEFA European Championship qualifiers during his time as a goalkeeper. He kept a clean sheet in Turkey's goalless draw in Izmir on 1 April 1979, and suffered a 2-0 away defeat that December. The nations met again in the preliminaries for the 1984 UEFA European Championship, Turkey losing 3-0 in April 1983.

• There are three Germany-born players in the Beşiktaş squad: Cenk Tosun (born in Wetzlar), Tolgay Arslan (Paderborn) and Orkan Çınar (Dortmund).

• Atınç Nukan, who is not in Beşiktaş's UEFA Champions League squad, is on loan from Leipzig.

• Have played in Germany:
Duško Tošić (SV Werder Bremen 2007–10)
Ryan Babel (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2011–12)
Cenk Tosun (Eintracht Frankfurt 2008–11)
Tolgay Arslan (Hamburger SV 2009–15, TSV Alemannia Aachen 2010/11)
Orkan Çınar (VfL Wolfsburg 2013/14, SpVgg Greüther Fürth 2014/15)

• Has played in Turkey:
Bruma (Galatasaray AŞ 2013–17, Gaziantepspor 2014)

• Have played together:
Ryan Babel & Marvin Compper (Hoffenheim, 2011–12)
Ryan Babel & Dominik Kaiser (Hoffenheim, 2011–12)
Ryan Babel & Péter Gulásci (Liverpool, 2008–11)

• International team-mates:
Ricardo Quaresma, Pepe & Bruma (Portugal)

• Bruma scored Real Sociedad de Fútbol's goal in a 3-1 Liga loss to Pepe's Real Madrid CF in December 2015.

• Álvaro Negredo netted twice in Sevilla FC's 5-1 Spanish Liga victory over Fabio Coltorti's Real Racing Club Santander in May 2010; Adriano was also in the Sevilla team.

• Quaresma and Pepe have twice got the better of Gulásci's Hungary in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Portugal winning 3-0 at home in March 2017 and 1-0 away on 3 September.

• Stefan Ilsanker and Marcel Sabitzer were in the Austria side that drew 0-0 with Portugal, who included Quaresma and Pepe, in the UEFA EURO 2016 group stage.

Match facts

Beşiktaş
• A 2-1 defeat at Fenerbahçe SK ended Beşiktaş's six-game unbeaten run, which stretched back to a 2-1 loss to Konyaspor in the Turkish Super Cup on 6 August.

• Both sides ended Saturday's game with nine men, Ricardo Quaresma (43) and Atiba Hutchinson (85) the men dismissed for the Black Eagles, while coach Şenol Güneş was sent to the stands. Oğuzhan Özyakup was shown a red card for dissent after the final whistle.

• In the absence of the suspended Tošić, midfielder Gary Medel started at centre-back in the 2-0 home league victory over Konyaspor on 18 September. Tošić returned for the Fenerbahçe game.

• Oğuzhan Özyakup missed the Konyaspor fixture with a thigh problem but returned for the Fenerbahçe match. Adriano was substituted after suffering a calf injury during that match and missed the Fenerbahçe game.

• Beşiktaş remain 30 home league matches unbeaten and have not lost on their own turf in any competition since 5 February.

• Gökhan Gönül (tibia) is yet to play this season.

• Babel, last capped in November 2011, is in the 35-man provisional Netherlands squad for their European Qualifiers against Belarus and Sweden next month.

Leipzig
• Leipzig have lost two of their six Bundesliga games this term. They did not suffer their second league defeat last season until the final round of matches before the winter break.

• Timo Werner has nine goals in ten appearances for club and country this season, having scored in Saturday's 2-1 success against Eintracht Frankfurt.

• Jean-Kévin Augustin scored his first goal for Leipzig in the 2-2 draw against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach on 16 September. Naby Keïta was sent off late on.

• Dayot Upamecano (foot) and Augustin (toe) missed the 1-0 defeat at FC Augsburg three days later, though Augustin returned to score in the 23 September match against Eintracht in which summer signing Yvon Mvogo made his Leipzig debut.